Internal combustion engine



Feb-11, 1941- w. R. F. PATcHETT 2,231,547

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed Nov. 6, 1939 v INVENTOR.

M//V//a/n R F/Dace ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 11, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT orslcs INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Alberta, Canada Application November 6, 1939, Serial'No. 303,061

3 Claims.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines of the rotary valve type and the object of the invention is to provide a new and improved valve structure of substantially cone like form in cross section in the top of a combustion chamber which is ported for the intake and exhaust gases whereby revolution of the valve brings the aperture thereof in succession to` the intake and exhaust ports. l A further object and feature of the invention is involved in the provision of the rotary type of valve of substantially cone form in cross section fitting the inner coned face of the combustion chamber and having a stem provided l with an external spring for maintaining the valve normally seated against the said face of the combustion chamber, The valve stem is splined in a gear hub rotated by a driving shaft permitting the valve to vary in its position relative to its seat or, as otherwise may be stated, permitting the valve to float.. The spring is of such character as to slightly more than counterbalance the weight of the valve and stem thus leaving the valve practically free to be iniiuenced by variation in pressure within the combustion chamber. In association with such arrangment of valve and driving gears, including the gear on the driving shaft, the upper face of the engine head is formed with a depression in which the lower side of the driving shaft gear is positioned, means being provided to maintain the recess filled with oil to maintain the gears properly lubricated and an aperture is provided leading from the recess to the bearing for the gear hub to maintain the same lubricated as hereinafter more fully described.

A further object and feature of the invention is to` provide a rotary valve of coned form normally held to its seat in the head of the engifze and grooved on the surface engaging the seat in the .engine head to provide oil dstributng grooves supplied from the Aoil pressure system of the engine. v

These and other'objects and novel features of the invention are hereinafter more fully described and claimed and invention is shown in preferred form in the accompanying drawing in which- Fig. l is a plan View of a multi-cylinder engine showing the valve driving means.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3 3 of Fig.

5,5 2 showing the inner face of the valve.

Fig. 4 is a plan View 0n an enlarged scale showing the upper ribbed surfaceof the valve.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section taken through the valve on une 5 5 of Fig. 4.

It is to be rstly understood that the engine 5 may be of the single or multi-cylinder type as the driving means and valve structure is identical in either type of engine. In Fig. 1 is shown a portion of a multi-cylinder engine, a vertical section of the single cylinder being shown in Fig. 10 2 from which in the latter view it may be observed that the cylinder I is provided with a chambered head 2 having a water space 3 therein and has a cylindrical portion 4 forming an extension of the engine cylinder and providing 15 the compression space.`

This -chamber I is slightly larger in diameter than the cylinder I in which the piston 5 'is' reciprocable in the usual manner. The upper face 6 of the compression chamber is of conical form 20 and has a finished conical surface engageable by the upper or outer coned surface of the valve 1. The valve has a splined stem 8 which extends through the worin gear 9 having Ia hub portion 9a bearing on a finished surface I0 of the en- 25 gine head. While not so shown, a thrust bearing may be provided between the hub portion 9a and the finished surface I 0. The valve stem 8 extends upwardly through the gear and hub and is provided at the upper end with an abutment 30 II. A compression spring I 2 is positioned between the abutment II and upper side of the gear. This arrangement permits the stem 8 to move vertically in the gear and the gear is driven by a worm I 3 mounted on a shaft I l and prop- 35 erly supported in bearings Illa and Ib. The

driving gear holds the driven gear 9 from ver- 4Lical displacement. The driving gear I 3 has the lower portion thereof riding in a bath of oil rcantaized in a cupped portion or recess I5 in 40 thof top surface of the engine head whereby the gears are maintained properly lubricated. The upper face of the head is covered by a shield I6 secured to the upper end of the head 2, the packing I'I being provided therebetween to prevent leakage of oil and this shield I 6 is secured in place by a bolt I8 which in the structure shown is positioned between the successive cylinders in the multi-cylinder type of engine here Shown. 50 Oil is preferably supplied to the said recess I 5 by a conductIS leading from the overiiow of the oil pump of the engine or in any approved manner.

The hub of the gear 9 has a bearing at 20 55 centrally in the engine head 2 which is supplied with oilv from the recess I5 by a conduit 2l.

An intake conduit 22 and the exhaust conduit 23 are provided by coring the head Aand the upper wall of the combustion chamber has openings therethrough to provide an intake port 2'4 and an exhaust port 25 adjacent one to the other as will be understood from Fig. 3 with which the respective intake and exhaust conduits 22 and 23 are connected.

As previously stated, the upper face of the valve 1 and surface 6 of the head engaged thereby are of cone-like form and a recess 26 of v form is provided centrally of the valve and on the longitudinal axis of the stem to reduce the mass of metal at this point under heat and thus prevent warpage. The spring I2 is preferably of such tension as to normally maintain the upper face of the valve in contact with the surface 6 of the head 2 but is subject to displacement due to variation in pressure in the combustion chamber and thus may reciprocate slightly and free the upper surface of the valve from accumulation of oil supplied thereto by a conduit 21 which is supplied to the engine head by a conduit opening to the orifice 28 in the head shown more clearlyin Fig. 1. This conduit 21 opens to the upper surface of the valve adjacent its center as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2 and oil therefore tends to iiow outwardly both by gravity and centrifugal force produced by rotation of the valve. 'I'his upper surface of the valve is radially grooved or ribbed, as shown more particularly in Figs. 4 and 5 at 29, to provide for cooling and lubrication as hereinafter described.

These grooves are from ten to twenty thousandths of an inch in depth and extend from Anear one side of the valve port 30 circumferentially about the surface of the valve to near the opposite side and these ungrooved sides 3I and 32 ride in contact with the upper face 6 of the head 2 and maintain the port sealed. The radial grooves 29 terminate short of the valve periphery leaving a peripheral ungrooved surface 33. The radial grooves further terminate short of the center of the valve leaving an ungrooved surface 33a in which there is a ring groove 33h and leading from the ring groove are a number of comparatively large grooves 33C leading to the upper end of the radial grooves 29. The conduit 21 leads to the ring groove 33h and oil is distributed to the radial grooves 29 by the larger radial grooves 33e. The upper surface of the valve 1 is sealed to the surface 6 of the head by the said ungrooved surfaces on the upper surface of the valve but due to the fact that the y valve 1 may move slightly away from its `seat during the intake stroke of the piston excess oil which may accumulate aboutl the valve stem 8 from the conduit ZI may pass to the upper surface of the valve and thence outwardly through the radial grooves. The ignition of the combustible mixture may be provided by use of the usual spark plug 34 but insofar as the invention herein disclosed is concerned the manner of ignition may be varied. In the operation of this engine the valve is rotated at half crankshaft speed and, if a multi-cylinder engine is constructed with the described valve arrangement, the cylinder I has the valve rotated in the direction of the arrow by the worm I3 while the next cylinder Ia of the group has the gear 9a rotated by a worm I3a whose teeth are at the opposite angle to these of the gear I3 and thus rotates the gear 9a in a direction opposite that ci the gear 9 of the cylinder I.

The shaft I4 may thus constantly rotate in one direction while successive pairs of cylinders have the valves rotated in opposite directions, the porting being so arranged that the port 30 of each valve in its direction of rotation rst opens to the exhaust port 25 and then to the intake port 24 in the head 2.

Ihe exhaust port is of greater width circumferentially than the port 30 in the valve providing for complete exhausting of the ignited charge While the intake port in the head 2 is only slightly greater width than the intake port 30 and these widths may be varied to provide for the desired engine timing. Also, in the operation of this engine, due to revolution of the gears, there is considerable oil splashed in the casing I6 tending to maintain the parts well lubricated.

It is believed evident from the foregoing description that the various features and objects of the invention are attained by the structure described and it is further pointed out that the valve arrangement may be provided in various types of engines, as, for instance, the straight head or L-head type and that the apparatus is simple in construction providing an internal combustion engine of the rotary valve type that is eicient in operation and dueto the slight movement of the valve through variation in pressure in the combustion chamber the gumrning of the valve is practically eliminated. The valve is in proper sealing contact with the surface 6 of the head on the compression and firing stroke due to the pressure Within the head and it is also to be realized and understood that various changes and modiiications may be made in the construction herein described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus briefly described my invention, its utility and mode of operation, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In an internal combustion engine having a cylinder and a head providing a combustion chamber, said combustion chamber having a finished conical surface facing the cylinder, and provided with inlet and exhaust ports, a valve having a conical surface riding in contact with the conical surface of the combustion chamber, said valve surface being provided with radial oil grooves in the surface thereof intermediate the periphery and apex providing two ungrooved ring like surfaces and a circumferential oil groove adjacent the apex of the valve and having a pair of grooves respectively opening to the radial grooves adjacent the opposite sides of the valve port, said valve further having a stem axially aligned with the cylinder axis, a bearing in the head for the stem, a gear on the said stem riding on the exterior surface of the head, the gear and valve stem being in a splined relationship whereby rotation of the gear causes rotation of the valve, a spring tending to support the valve with its conical surface in engagement with the conical surface of the combustion chamber, a driving gear engaging the gear on the valve stem, means for rotating the driving gear to provide for continuousy rotation of the valve, said valve having a port opening therethrough intermediate the ungrooved ring like surfaces and registering with said exhaust and intake ports successively in its rotation, said conical Valvesurface further being ungrooved for a distance CII each side of the valve po-rt, and a conduit for supplying said circumferential groove in the valve surface with a lubricant.

2. In an internal combustion engine having a cylinder and a' head providing: a combustion chamber, said combustion chamber having a finished conical surface facing the cylinder, a valve having a conical surface riding in contact with the conical surface of the combustion chamber, said conical valve being provided With a port and the surface being provided With radial oil grooves in the surface thereof intermediate the periphery and apex providing two ungrooved surfaces of ring like form at the periphery and apex of the valve, said oil grooves being formed on straight lines running from the upper ungrooved surface to the lower ungrooved smface, a ring groove in the upper ungrooved surface adjacent the apex of the valve, and a num- Iber of comparatively large grooves opening to the ring groove at the upper end and opening at the lower end to some of the radial grooves in the conical surface, the said radial grooves extending about the conical valve surface from a point spaced from one side of the valve port to a point adjacent the other side of `the valve port, the said ungrooved spaces on each side of the valve port providing a means for sealing the port to the conical surface of the combustion chamber, means providing for continuous rotation 0f the valve, said conical surface of the combustion chamber having a port for inflow of combustible material and a port for discharge of the combustion gases, said ports being in a. spaced relation circumferentially of the conica1 surface of the combustion chamber and the direction of rotation of the valve causing the valve port to register With the said exhaust and intake ports successively, said ports being arranged to provide the required time interval subsequent to the valve l port opening into the intake port for the compression and combustion of the gases before said valve port opens to the exhaust port, and means for supplying oil to the ring groove of the valve. 3. In an internal combustion engine, a cylinder having a conical head provided with a central opening, a conical valve having a central shaft rotatably mounted in the said opening in the head, a spring for maintaining the upper conical surface of the valve in contact with the conical head of the engine, said valve having a port, and the said head having an intake and an exhaust port in spaced relation with which the valve is brought successively in registration by rotation of the valve, the conical surface of the valve in contact with the head having a series of radially extending grooves arranged in a circle and extending from a point adjacent one side of the valve port to a point adjacent the other side thereof, the radial grooves being less in length than the distance from the upper end of the valve to the periphery', and said valve having a stem by which it may be rotated, a ring groove in the upper surface of the valve adjacent the stem, and a pair of radial grooves extending from the said ring groove to the upper end of the radial grooves respectively adjacent the opposite sides of the valve port, and an oil supply conduit for discharging oil to the ring groove.

WILLIAM R. F. PATCHETI'. 

